


VILE Flu

by Animedemon01



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29443134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animedemon01/pseuds/Animedemon01
Summary: The flu works its way through VILE (and beyond).
Relationships: Flytrap/Spinkick (Carmen Sandiego), Le Chèvre | Jean Paul/El Topo | Antonio, Moose Boy/Otter Man (Carmen Sandiego), Neal the Eel & Dash Haber
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	VILE Flu

**Author's Note:**

> I had a random idea for this fic and decided to go with it, as I haven't been overly inspired to write Scar's Don't Fade and writing this has helped me want to work on it more.

“Ah, Roundabout, I didn’t think we’d ever see you join us here in person.” Said Maelstrom, as the British man took his seat.

Roundabout shrugged. “Well. I have a great deal of vacation days I need to take at my other job, so I decided it might be a good idea to take my three remaining weeks and give headquarters a visit.”

“It seems like a waste of your vacation time.” Said Coach Brunt. “You can do your VILE work pretty much anywhere virtually, so why you’re not going somewhere nice is beyond me.”

“Well, you know me; always the workahol-“ Roundabout suddenly sneezed mid-sentence. “Oh, excuse me; my allergies must be acting up again. I’m not used to this type of environment in the slightest.”

Bellum pulled out a small can of disinfectant spray from her lab coat, and sprayed the table, the air, and Roundabout, causing him to break into a fit of coughing.

“I am just trying to be careful.” She told the others. “The British have had a history of bringing diseases, and I’m not taking any chances. Besides, we cannot be completely sure that this is actually his allergies. And not some type of contagious ailment.”

Maelstrom rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Saira; just please refrain from spraying your fellow Head Faculty members with disinfectant. Now, since we are all here, I suggest we get to work on planning VILE’s next heist.

Roundabout ended up leaving the meeting early due to a headache, but considering how constantly overworked he was, and the fact that pollen allergies did have the potential to cause headaches, nobody-with the exception of Bellum, who sprayed her disinfectant again the second he was gone-paid any attention to it. They simply went on with the meeting, planning to update their missing member at a later point.

The next morning when they all gathered at the table again, Roundabout was nowhere to be seen. This was quite unusual, considering the man was such a timely person and rarely ever late.

“I guess old Roundy decided to sleep in.” Said Brunt. “I’ll go drag him out of bed for y’all.”

Just as she was about to get up, Maelstrom’s communicator suddenly rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, and seeing a video call from Roundabout incoming, decided to answer it. Roundabout appeared pale and sweaty on the other end and was still in bed.

“You better have a good reason for not being here, Roundabout.” Said Maelstrom.

“Trust me, I do.” He replied, voice incredible hoarse. “You see, I no longer think my earlier symptoms were due to allergies, as I am now terribly ill. There was some sort of virus going around my work before I left for this little vacation, and I feel I may have caught it. I apologize if I have managed to infect any of you, but I truly felt fine when I left.”

“I knew it.” Shouted Bellum. “None of you believed me, and now he has infected us all.”

“Excuse me for a moment.” Said Roundabout, before putting his own communicator down, causing the screen to go dark. They could hear retching on the other end, and about thirty seconds after it stopped, Roundabout was back on the call. “I apologize for you all having to hear that, but like I said, I am quite ill.”

Countess Cleo let out a groan. “Looks like we are all in for a few unpleasant days sooner than later. I was going to grab a few files that we may need for this assignment, but in this case, I’ll have my assistant bring them, along with any other important papers you three can think of. Whatever you do, do not let on that you may be sick; Haber is extremely mysophobic and won’t bring anything near if you do.”

Nobody was showing any sort of symptoms quite yet, so Dash had no issue delivering the paperwork Countess Cleo had asked him for. He was more than used to being her errand boy, so didn’t question why she had him bring her the paperwork, instead of getting it herself or having some random student do it for her.

“Thank you, Haber.” She said when he handed her the files. “Since you have been very obedient lately, and I do not think I will require your services for a while, I have decided to give you a week off.”

Dash looked extremely surprised. “Are you sure, Countess? You haven’t given me a day off in over a year, and I don’t think I’ve gotten a full week off since I became your assistant. What’s the catch?”

“Yes, I am positively sure.” She replied. “Don’t make me change my mind. As for a _catch_ , my only requirement is that you stay at headquarters for the week. Now, go off and play with your sewing machine or something; the grown-ups are talking.”

Dash gave a polite nod before scurrying out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Maelstrom turned to Cleo.

“So, you think Haber will get sick.” It was not a question.

“Oh, I _know_ Haber will definitely get sick.” She told him.

By midday, the previously healthy Head Faculty members were beginning to show symptoms. Maelstrom and Brunt were both already coughing and sneezing, Cleo was developing a headache (and not the usual type she’d often get from spending time around her uncouth colleagues), and while she didn’t have a thermometer on her, Bellum was certain she had a fever.

“I am starting to regret picking Roundabout as our fifth member.” Said Bellum. “He may have his advantages, but the fact that he is constantly away from us means he has the opportunity to bring back all sorts of illnesses when he does come to visit.”

“To be fair, if it wasn’t Roundy that brought the flu back here this season, some operative probably would’ve done it instead.” Replied Brunt. “Those kids are basically germ factories. Hell, since I became Head Faculty, we’ve had four chicken pox outbreaks, two rubella outbreaks, three measles outbreaks, two mumps outbreaks, and a Diphtheria outbreak. I didn’t ever know you could still even _get_ Diphtheria before the last one.”

“Hm, I guess that means we will see a high level of spread with this, if so much as a single operative gets infected.” Noted Bellum. “While this would put us behind in a lot of aspects, it would certainly give me a chance to test my new methods of contact tracing. I am already able to track which operatives come in contact with each other thanks to their communicators and combining this with recording an operative who calls out sick with the flu, I should easily be able to track the spread patterns of this strain of influenza.”

“I thought we made all our operatives get vaccinated so we wouldn’t have any more disease outbreaks.” Said Brunt. “Shouldn’t we not have to worry about them getting sick since they’ve had their shots?”

“Unfortunately, the flu vaccine is one we recommend but do not mandate.” Replied Maelstrom. “Not a lot of operatives actually bother to get that one.”

“Even if we decided to mandate the flu shot, we cannot always be certain that we are vaccinating for the strain of influenza that will be most prominent that year.” Added Bellum. “And even still, being vaccinated does not guarantee immunity for everyone, only that cases will be lower due to heard immunity.”

“So, we’re basically screwed?” Said Brunt.

Countess Cleo nodded. “Pretty much. Let’s just hope this stupid virus gets over quickly so we can get back to sending operatives out. For now, I think it would be best if we just work on planning heists internally, without sending more operatives our so we avoid starting a global flu pandemic.”

“Deciding to cease all operations would cause a large dip in our yearly profits, which is something I personally would like to avoid.” Said Maelstrom. “If the flu has already found its way into VILE, it would have little impact on us if it were to spread further. I suggest we continue to send out operatives that do not have symptoms in order to keep VILE going strong. Who knows? Maybe we’ll infect some law enforcement organizations and give VILE a little boost while we’re at it. All in favor?”

Brunt, Bellum, and Maelstrom all raised their hands. Cleo reluctantly raised hers a few seconds later.

By the next day, all of the Head Faculty members were feeling the full effects of the flu, but still decided to meet up at the Head Faculty table-albeit in their pajamas- to work out the details of their next heist. Roundabout, who was arguably the worst, was dragged out of bed to help and suffer alongside the others. He was no longer throwing up but kept a bucket by his feet just in case.

“Well, now that we’re all gathered here, I suggest we get to work.” Said Maelstrom. “Illness may slow us down, but it is not an excuse to stop altogether.”

“Why is it necessary for us to all be working in the same location?” Asked Roundabout. “We could all be working from our beds and communicating virtually instead. I guarantee we would all be recovering faster that way.”

Brunt shot him a glare. “You were the one who brought this plague upon us, Roundy, you don’t get a say in how we do things right now.”

“Oh, would you two please shut up?” Groaned Cleo. “My head is absolutely killing me, its like two wine hangovers at once.”

Bellum, who was face down on the table, only gave a slight snore in response.

Maelstrom rolled his eyes. “If you four cannot even deal with a simple virus, I have no idea why you became Head Faculty in the first place. VILE has no place for such weakness, especially within its highest authority. Now, somebody wake Saira up so we can actually get something done today.”

Cleo tapped Bellum on the shoulder, who awoke with a groan.

“If anything is on fire, this time it is not my fault.” She exclaimed before falling right back asleep.

Seeing as he hadn’t gotten a day off that wasn’t due to illness or injury in quite a while, Dash wasn’t going to waste a second of it. Still, he found it odd that Countess Cleo had decided to randomly give him a week off like this but figured maybe she _did_ have a flicker of humanity left in her yet and realized how much she’d been overworking her assistant. Whatever the reason, he knew better than to question it.

While most of his sewing and designing was things the Countess had asked him to do, Dash certainly had quite a few personal projects he could work on. While all the travel he did certainly gave him time for designing and knitting/crochet, he couldn’t exactly bring his sewing machine along with him everywhere, so personal projects took forever. Finally, he had time for that new jacket he’s been planning for months.

The first day he got off he sewed into the early hours of the morning. The walls of the castle headquarters were thick so the noise of his sewing machine did not carry, and the wing his room was located in was mostly unused, safe for a few currently empty operative rooms, so he knew nobody would be bothered by the noise.

He was exhausted when he was done, and went to bed around three in the morning, figuring he’d sleep until noon and do more sewing then.

To say the Head Faculty was having an unproductive day was an understatement. The operative they had sent out for cough medicine had gotten nighttime relief stuff, and none of them had noticed until they had all taken it and were completely drowsy. Bellum had claimed to have some sort of magical flu cure that would get everyone set in a matter of hours, but it was at one of her labs over a thousand miles away. Besides, nobody wanted to risk the possible side effects of taking her largely untested miracle drug.

As far as anyone could tell, no operatives had gotten sick, but it was still early, and even Dash-despite direct exposure and him reportedly having a weak immune system-had not shown any symptoms. Carmen Sandiego had failed to take down VILE so far, so they weren’t worried about a simple virus doing it. But that didn’t mean the flu, like Sandiego, wouldn’t be slowing their efforts to increase VILE’s power greatly.

By the evening, Dash was feeling less than well. He knew the castle was dusty but considering how well he’d deep cleaned his room when he’d first arrived, there was no way for that to be the cause of all his coughing and sneezing.

Despite the idea his appearance might give off, Dash was far from a hypochondriac. He started by thinking up any possible other reasons why he wasn’t feeling great all of a sudden but couldn’t come up with a single one. Normally when Dash got ill, he would still do his best to work unless physically unable to, lest he face the wrath of the Countess, but since he had a week off anyways, he decided he might as well do some self-care.

If he really was sick, Dash wanted some company in the form of one of the only people within VILE he felt actually cared about him, Neal the Eel. Dash wasn’t worried about Neal catching whatever he had, as the older man seemed completely immune from getting sick, as his medical records showed that he hadn’t taken a single sick day the entire time he’d been with VILE.

Neal and Dash’s relationship was neither sexual or romantic and was strictly platonic. They both provided something the other needed. Neal was naturally the caring type and needed someone to be there for. Dash, on the other hand needed emotional support, which Neal was more than happy to give. They were an odd pair but spent a good deal of time together.

He pulled out his communicator and sent a message to Neal who, despite their positive relationship, was listed in his contacts as _Slimeball_.

 _Neal, I think I’m coming down with something._ He typed. _By some stroke of luck, Countess Cleo gave me the week off yesterday, even though I was fine then. Come back to headquarters and spend some time with me, please?_

 ** _I’m out on an assignment right now, Dashie, but I’ll hurry it up and get there as soon as I can._** Was the reply. **_Do you want anything?_**

_Yes. Bring me soup, and not some crap from a can or the cafeteria; stop at an actual restaurant on your way here and pick some up._

**_I’ll try my best, but no promises._ **

****

The Head Faculty weren’t sure when they’d given up trying to be productive, only that by the time it was getting dark outside they had at some point transitioned to watching random Youtube videos. Obviously, nothing had gotten done, but nobody was overly worried about that.

“I have given up all hope of us getting anything done until this horrid virus is over, but instead of staying cooped up in our rooms all day, I suggest we come back here tomorrow and continue with todays activities.” Said Maelstrom. “Perhaps tomorrow we can watch some actual movies or maybe a TV show instead of just random internet videos.”

“Sounds good to me.” Agreed Brunt. “I’ve always seen us as a family, but we never spend any actual time together. Maybe we can finally get to know each other better. Who knows? Maybe this whole flu thing could be a blessing in disguise.”

“The BBC has a wonderful documentary on the history of Britain during the first and second world wars.” Suggested Roundabout. “Perhaps tomorrow we could watch that.”

“I refuse to watch any documentaries that are not about science or cute animals.” Said Bellum. “If you really want me to sit here and watch a movie, it better not be something boring. How about Star Trek: The Next Generation?”

“Oh god, please not more sci-fi.” Groaned Cleo. “Thanks to you, I’ve seen all of the Star Wars movies ever made. I’m never getting back those hours of my life.”

Maelstrom sighed. “All in favor of just watching Law and Order like we always do when we decide to watch TV together?”

Everyone raised their hands in agreement.

By the time Neal arrived in Scotland, it was past midnight, and almost everything was closed. By some miracle, he was able to find a restaurant that was still open and bought out their entire stock of chicken noodle soup, planning on keeping it in Dash’s minifridge and heating up a bowl whenever he wanted some. The soup was far from the gourmet food Dash was used to, but it was better than nothing.

Neal quietly crept into Dash’s room, slowing approaching the sleeping man.

“Wake up, Dashie; I’m here.” He said, giving Dash a gentle shake. “I brought a whole bunch of soup, and I’ll put it all away in a sec, unless you want a bowl.”

Dash let out a groan. “Neal, it’s the middle of the night and I’m sick. I appreciate you coming all his way for me, but did you really have to wake me up? I don’t have the energy to deal with you right now. Put the soup in my minifridge, go sleep in one of the operative rooms for the night, and come back in the morning.”

“Aw, come on, Dashie. After I came all this way for you, you’re really just gonna kick me out and make me sleep in an operative room? That’s harsh.”

Dash rolled his eyes. “You idiot, you woke me up in the middle of the night. Now go sleep in one of the operative rooms for tonight before I decide not to let you back in here in the morning, either.”

Neal knew better than to argue, and simply headed down to find an operative room to sleep in.

The operative rooms were dorm-style, fairly similar to the actual student dorms, with six beds in each and an attached bathroom. The idea was that multiple operatives would stay in a room, either because they had two assignments close together and it didn’t make sense for them to leave, they were under medical observation but weren’t contagious and didn’t need to stay in the infirmary, or they had recently graduated and had yet to find better living arrangements.

There were plenty of empty operative rooms throughout the castle, but when Neal found out two old friends of his were also staying in an operative room, he couldn’t resist the urge to go see them. While he knew Moose Boy and Otter Man would probably have preferred some privacy, and Otter Man would likely be annoyed by his presence, he wanted things to be just like old times, at least for one night.

The two other operatives were already asleep, having pushed two of the single beds together so they could sleep together. Neal wasn’t trying to wake them up, but when he turned on the lights, Otter Man was startled awake. In his frantic search for his glasses, he managed to wake Moose Boy as well.

“Dammit Neal, go bother someone else!” Said Otter Man once he’d found his glasses and could properly see who was in front of him. “Not all of us are night owls.”

“Sorry, love, but I had to turn on the lights to find a place for my stuff.” He replied. “We’re going to be roommates again, at least for tonight.”

“It will be just like old times!” Cheered Moose Boy.

Otter Man was getting more and more annoyed. “Dammit, Neal, there are a ton of operative rooms that are completely empty right now. Why do you have to bunk with us?”

“Just thought I’d spend some time with my old friends.” Said Neal. “So, why are you two staying here? I thought you had an apartment together.”

“Oh, we do.” Replied Otter Man. “We got stuck here when Henrik lost his passport, and he’s supposed to get one in a day or two, but we’re getting sent out on assignment right after. My orchids are certainly dead at this point.”

Moose Boy gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry, Sven, I’ll replace your plants as soon as we get home. I know you really liked those flowers.”

Otter Man had wanted to get a pet, but due to not being home enough, he had to settle for plants. He’d started with just a few succulents, but now their entire apartment was crowded with house plants. He’s spent a lot of his VILE earnings on his collection, and many of the plants even had names.

“That’s not enough!” He snapped. “I loved those plants, and to make sure this never happens again, you are getting me that fancy indoor hydraulic system with the money I know you have saved.”

Moose Boy did have a decent amount of money saved, but he didn’t think Otter Man knew about it, and certainly wasn’t planning on spending it on something for plants. But since the money had been put aside to eventually be spent on Otter Man, and it was still _technically_ being spent on him, Moose Boy figured it wasn’t too different.

“Alright, Sven, I’ll replace any of your plants that died and buy you that hydraulic system when we get home, I promise.”

Otter Man seemed satisfied with this. “Good. I’m going back to sleep. Neal, if you don’t have the lights off within five minutes, I’ll have Henrik physically throw you into the hall.”

Neal didn’t doubt Moose Boy would do it, as even if he did like Neal, he still cared more about Otter Man and had to stand by his partner’s side no matter what.

“Goodnight, guess we’ll talk more in the morning.” He said, turning off the lights.

By the time Neal got up, Moose Boy and Otter Man were already gone, presumably getting breakfast. Neal wanted to go visit Dash, but figured the other man was still sleeping, and wanted to get something to eat.

It was pretty late, and since VILE academy was currently in session, all the breakfast foods Neal actually liked were gone. He ended up with a bowl of watery oatmeal and a bruised apple. Disappointed with his food, he headed over to where Moose Boy and Otter Man were eating, their food looking a lot more appetizing than his own.

“Good morning.” He said, stealing a piece of Otter Man’s bacon. “You two sleep well?”

“Keep your slimy hands off my breakfast.” Snapped Otter Man. “Its not my fault you got up late and everything good as already gone.”

“Leave Sven alone.” Said Moose Boy. “He needs to eat a good breakfast today since we’re going out on an assignment today. I just got my new passport, and the Head Faculty wants us in Greenland as soon as possible.”

“Why would they want you _there_?” Asked Neal. “Isn’t Greenland just some icy shithole?”

“There are some Viking artifacts in a museum Coach Brunt wants.” Replied Otter Man. “Since there are a lot of more high-profile heists going on right now, she does not thing Carmen Sandiego will be an issue.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Chuckled Neal, knowing they would probably still find some way to mess it up. “I’ll be waiting in the nice, warm castle for your return.”

The flu was spreading even more rapidly than predicted, and even with her contact tracing methods, Bellum was having trouble figuring out if it was the same case Roundabout had brought back with him or a new one brought by an operative. Of course, the fact that she was still sick herself didn’t help her thinking.

The flu seemed to be slowly bringing VILE to a standstill, and even though they probably should have halted operations, the Head Faculty did not want to do that. They weren’t sending out any symptomatic operatives, however, not because they cared if they spread it all over the world, but because sick operatives are rarely productive operatives.

The Head Faculty had taken a break from their cat videos to discuss the matter of which operatives they should have replace The Mechanic and The Driver, both who happened to have called our sick just days before they were to be sent out on a big assignment.

“What about Artemis and Apollo?” Suggested Brunt. “They might be small, but I’ve never seen a single operative with archery skills even close to what those two have.”

Maelstrom shook his head. “The twins certainly have their place within VILE, but this assignment would require a great deal of talking to other people, and the twins aren’t great at communicating outside of each other.”

“I guess the mime is out, too, then.” Said Bellum. “A great deal of our field agents that aren’t already out on assignment are ill, so our choices are very limited. What about Spinkick and Flytrap? I am aware they have been around some of the infected operatives, but they are not showing symptoms, at least not yet.”

“They could work.” Replied Cleo. “We will contact them as soon as possible and send them out tomorrow.”

Neal didn’t get back to Dash until after Moose Boy and Otter Man had left, just before noon. He figured Dash needed his rest if he were sick and could easily call or message if he really wanted company. Dash was normally an early bird, so it was unusual to have him still be asleep at this time, but understandable since he was ill.

Dash’s room was still dark when Neal quietly crept in.

“Dashie!” He called. “Its almost twelve, time to get up and have some lunch!”

Dash groaned. “Let me sleep, I’m not hungry.”

“Come on, Dash, even if you are sick, lying in bed all day without getting up or eating and drinking isn’t good for you. How about I run you a bath? You love baths.”

Dash’s room at the old headquarters only had a shower stall, but when they were moving to the castle, Neal cashed in a few favors Roundabout owed him, who in turn was able to get Dash a slightly bigger room with a bathtub in its attached bathroom.

“I suppose a bath would be nice.” Said Dash. “After all, I do feel a bit sweaty and gross. But don’t add too much of my bath oil; its hard to find and a little goes a long way.”

Dash had a whole cabinet full of spa products, including an array of expensive bath items and a large collection of face masks. Neal knew exactly the products Dash liked and often brought him back new ones to try from all over the world.

“Don’t worry, Dashie, I promise not to make that mistake again. Do you need anything while you’re waiting?”

“I have some bottles of Kombucha in my minifridge, would you mind grabbing me one?”

For some reason that Neal couldn’t understand, Dash loved Kombucha, claiming it greatly improved his health and that he didn’t mind the taste. To Neal, it tasted worse than any cider he’d had before, and lacked any alcohol content, and he saw no reason to actually drink the foul liquid. He didn’t look too much at the labels of the various bottles, and just handed Dash a random one. He then headed to the bathroom to start the water.

“Okay, Dashie, the bath is all ready for you.” Said Neal, coming out of the bathroom about ten minutes after entering. “Get in before it gets cold.”

“My back is sore.” He whined. “Carry me?”

Dash was tall, but he was very slim and weighed less than he looked. He wasn’t actual too hard for anyone over 5’8” with even average strength to carry.

“Of course, Dashie.” Said Neal, as he walked over to where Dash laid. “I’ll grab you some fresh pajamas after I get you in there since yours are probably a little sweaty.”

“Make sure you change my sheets, too; they’re also sweaty. There’s another set in the bathroom cabinet next to the towels.”

Neal chuckled. “Demanding as ever, aren’t we, Dashie?”

Dash made no comment as he was carried into the bathroom. He silently got undressed, tossing his clothes into the hamper before getting in the tub. The bath was at the perfect temperature with just the right amount of bath oil in it. Neal really did know him well.

“Thank you, Neal, this is absolutely perfect.”

“Anything for my Dashie!”

Just because Otter Man was used to the cold didn’t mean he actually liked it. He would have loved to go somewhere warm for a change, but unfortunately the Head Faculty seemed keen on only sending him and Moose Boy to cold places.

“Gee, Sven, for a place called Greenland, it really isn’t that green.” Said Moose Boy. “I’m just glad they didn’t decide to send us to Iceland.”

Otter Man decided not to dignify his partner’s usual stupidity with a response. “Let’s just hurry up and steal those stupid artifacts so we can go home. I’m certain at least my succulents have survived, but they won’t be alive much longer if we keep wasting time.”

Moose Boy gave him a dopey smile. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Flytrap could tell her partner was getting sick, and she knew Spinkick was aware of his own health as well, but thanks to his usual stubbornness, he was refusing to even acknowledge it. The flu was rapidly spreading around VILE, and a lot of the operatives they had been training with recently had gotten it, so she wasn’t surprised that at least one of them at started to show symptoms.

“You know, if you’re sick, we can just call out.” She told Spinkick. “VILE has made it very clear that they don’t want operatives showing symptoms of the flu to go out on assignments, especially with how its been spreading.”

He rolled his eyes. “I told you, Elma, its just a cold. I’m as healthy as a horse.”

“You have a fever, Alex, a cold doesn’t cause that. If we end up failing this assignment because you’re sick and won’t admit it, I’m telling the Head Faculty.”

“Oh, come on, we’re not gonna fail. I’m a tough guy; I can get past anything.”

“Says the idiot who made me check the closet because he heard a weird noise.”

“That was _one_ time!”

Neal spent basically the whole day with Dash. After the bath, he got Dash to eat a bowl of the soup, and then they just ended up in Dash’s bed, cuddling. Despite what his outer appearance might give off, Dash could be quite affectionate at times, and often craved platonic touch.

As much as he cared about Dash, Neal was honestly getting a little bored just lying there and pulled out his communicator to surf the web on. Dash was normally a fairly light sleeper, but thanks to the fever, he seemed pretty out of it and likely wouldn’t be woken up by the soft light of the device.

As per usual, Neal had forgotten to charge his communicator the night before, so the battery was almost completely dead. Using his hypermobility to his advantage, Neal was able to grab Dash’s still plugged-in charger without getting up, and quietly plug the end into his device. Somehow, he was able to do this without bothering Dash, who was resting his head of Neal’s shoulder.

Considering how things usually turned out for them, Moose Boy and Otter Man were pleasantly surprised with how well this assignment was going. They’d managed to steal the artifacts with ease, drop them off at the safehouse, and were now just waiting around for the boat to pick them up.

“The boat is a half hour late.” Grumbled Otter Man, pacing back and forth on the empty dock. “And yet it would probably leave without us if we decided to try and get out of the cold even for a minute.”

“Relax, Sven, the boat will be here soon enough.” Said Moose Boy. “I don’t think its safe for you to be pacing around on the dock like this, especially with your bad eyesight. You could fall into the-“

He was interrupted by a loud splash as Otter Man slipped on a patch of ice he failed to see and fell into the icy ocean. It took Moose Boy under a minute to pull his partner out of the water, but Otter Man was absolutely soaked and shaking from the cold.

“Sven, are you okay?” Moose Boy fretted, wrapping his own jacket around the smaller man.

“Obvious n-not, you m-moron!” Shivered Otter Man. “If the boat doesn’t g-get here soon, I’m going to get hypo-hypothermia!”

Worried for his partner’s safety, Moose Boy made a quick video call to the Head Faculty, despite picking up, they looked quite annoyed to be interrupted from whatever they’d been doing.

 _“Now, why would you bother calling us again when we already got a message from both you two and the safehouse that you succeeded with your assignment?”_ Asked Brunt. _“I know this is your first success in months, but you don’t need to keep telling us about it.”_

“We need to know when the boat is getting here.” Replied Moose Boy. “Its already thirty minutes late, and Sven just fell off the dock while we were waiting. He’s cold and wet, and I don’t think he should be out here much longer.”

 _“The boat will be here soon enough.”_ Said Maelstrom. _“Due to the influenza outbreak, our resources are spread very thin. The operative we send is not the most punctual person, but we don’t have many available operatives who are qualified to drive a boat from Greenland to Scotland.”_

 _“Going from the boat’s radio signal, it should be there in under ten minutes.”_ Added Bellum. _“I cannot tell if this difference in projected arrival time is due to rough seas, or the operative lying, however.”_

“Okay, just please have a doctor waiting to check on Sven as soon as we get back.” Replied Moose Boy. “I’m worried he might get hypothermia again.”

“You shouldn’t be getting so close to me, _mon chou_.” Said Le Chevre, his voice hoarse. “I do not want to get you sick.”

They weren’t completely sure if Le Chevre had caught the flu from another operative when he was out on an assignment that El Topo was not involved in, or if he just caught it from some random person when he was out somewhere. Either way, he had managed to get sick while his partner remained healthy.

“I do not care if I get sick from you.” Replied El Topo. “I love you more than anything and will take care of you no matter what. And even I do get sick, you will be better by that time.”

Le Chevre knew this would end in him having to eventually take care of El Topo when he got it, but he didn’t really care. They were a couple, and couples took care of each other when they got sick.

Neal didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep until he was awoken by Dash poking him.

“What’s wrong, Dashie?” He yawned. “Did I accidentally roll on top of you in my sleep? Or are you just feeling sick and want some comfort from me?”

“I’m hungry; heat me up another bowl of that soup.” He demanded. “And turn on the kettle while you’re at it; I want hot tea.”

“The soup is in the fridge, you know that, Dashie. If you had wanted another bowl you could have just heated it up yourself without waking me.”

“But I’m _sick_.” He whined. “I though you were going to take care of me when you were here, but I guess I should just do everything myself.”

Dash was normally a fairly self-sufficient person, but when it was just him and Neal, he liked to have the older man take care off all his needs. Neal certainly didn’t mind the whole caretaker roll, but Dash could be a bit demanding at times, especially when he wasn’t feeling well.

Neal sighed, knowing that if he didn’t do it, Dash would probably kick him out which meant no more cuddle time. “Alright, Dashie, I’m getting up. What kind of tea did you want?”

“Peppermint tea, two teaspoons of sugar. Make sure to let the tea steep for exactly eight minutes after adding the hot water before adding the sugar.”

Neal absolutely cared about Dash and was willing to give him pretty much anything, but he could tell this was going to be a long couple of days.

“Don’t wipe your nose on your sleeve; that’s disgusting!” Snapped Flytrap.

“Hey, I didn’t bring any tissues.” Said Spinkick. “What else do you expect me to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe stop being an idiot and going out on assignments when you’re sick?”

Flytrap was not at all pleased with her partner deciding he was fine to participate in an assignment when he clearly had the flu. She had told the Head Faculty that he seemed ill, but since he insisted it was just a cold, and they were already super understaffed, he was sent anyways.

“Hold on, I think I see Sandiego!” He exclaimed. “And she’s holding the cat statue.”

Unlike a lot of the items they were sent to steal, the cat statue wasn’t overly valuable. But it was one-of-a-kind, created by an unknown artist who was now dead and couldn’t create more, and Bellum wanted it for herself. They didn’t know why Carmen had decided to stop their heist on this tiny modern art museum in Argentina, especially when there were other heists also going on, but whatever the reason, she managed to be a thorn in their side once again.

Flytrap went after Zack and Ivy, quickly tying them down with her bolas, while Spinkick fought Carmen. He was a little sluggish due to illness, and none of his kicks seemed to be hitting. As he was beginning to grow fatigued, he sneezed, hitting Carmen directly in the face with his germs.

Normally, this would have given him an edge, as Carmen froze for a minute in shock, but his sluggishness kept him from reacting as Carmen kicked him in the chest and took off with the statue. He looked towards Flytrap for help but found that she had been overpowered by Shadow-San. Zack and Ivy had already escaped. Seeing as Carmen was already gone, Shadow-San knocked Flytrap back, and sprinted off as well.

“You know, this is all your fault.” Flytrap said to her partner. “If you hadn’t insisted you were perfectly healthy, you would have been much better at fighting, and we wouldn’t have failed.”

“Shut up! Its not my fault I got sick.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, but it is your fault that you’re an idiot and decided to go out when you were clearly ill.”

Even in the warm infirmary, Otter Man could not stop shivering. He’d gotten out of his wet clothes before they examined him, but that only seemed to help a little.

Thankfully, according to the doctors, he hadn’t managed to catch hypothermia. Unfortunately, he did seem to be showing symptoms of the flu that had been going around VILE and was prescribed a few days of bedrest until he was healthy again. Because of how many students and operatives were sick (and how many members of the medical staff had called in as well), only the sickest were being kept in the infirmary, so Otter Man was sent back to the operative room where he had been staying.

One he was released from the infirmary; Otter Man wasn’t feeling great but still had enough energy to walk back to where they were staying. Moose Boy, however, had different plans, picking up his partner and carrying him out of the infirmary and towards the operative room.

“Put me down, Henrik!” Snapped Otter Man. “I can walk just fine.”

Moose Boy tightened his grip. “ _Nej_ , you are sick and its my job to protect you. Save your energy and focus on getting better.”

Otter Man struggled against his partner, but Moose Boy was much stronger than him. After a few minutes of trying to escape the larger man’s grasp, he simply let out an annoyed sigh and allowed himself to be carried.

When they returned to the room, Neal was currently absent, although his bag was still there. Otter Man was somewhat relieved, as he often found Neal to be quite annoying, and he just wanted to rest. He was placed gently on the two beds they had pushed together by Moose Boy and wrapped in blankets.

“Do you need anything else, Sven?” Fretted Moose Boy. “I want to help you get better as best I can.”

“I’m fine, I just need rest.” Replied Otter Man. “Just leave me alone and let me sleep for now.”

“Okay Sven, feel better soon.” Said Moose Boy, kissing his partner’s forehead. “I’m going to leave you alone for a little while, call me if you need me. _Jag älskar dig_.”

“ _Jag älskar dig_.” Muttered Otter Man, burying his head in his pillow.

Glancing back at his partner once more, Moose Boy turned off the lights and left the room, closing the door behind him.

After his soup and tea, Dash had taken some cough medicine, snuggled with Neal, and passed out pretty quickly. Neal couldn’t tell if the younger man was getting better, as he seemed to be more comfortable and back to his demanding self, but his fever had gone up very slightly.

Because of how rarely he got sick, Neal didn’t know how long the flu lasted or how bad it actually was to deal with. The only information he had was things he found online about getting over the flu quickly. For now, he figured the best thing he could do was be there for Dash, physically and emotionally.

As he was lying there, messing around with his communicator, he suddenly got a call from Moose Boy. Not wanting to wake Dash, but also not wanting to reject the call, he separated himself from the brunette and snuck into the hallway.

“I have no problem if you want to talk, love, but next time please message instead of call.” Said Neal. “Dash was sleeping, and your call might have woken him up.”

Moose Boy and Otter Man were both aware of the relationship Neal had with Dash. While they might not be perfectly clear on the whole platonic cuddle buddy thing, they did support it. They kept it mostly a secret, however, as relationships were frowned upon in VILE, and there was no way Countess Cleo would be happy if she found out her assistant was in a relationship with the slimey Kiwi.

 _“Sven’s sick.”_ Replied Moose Boy. _“He has the flu. He always gets grumpy when he’s sick, and since we can’t go home until he’s better, I’m worried he’ll be even worse. Since he always complains that I don’t take care of him well when he’s sick, even though I try my best, so I wanted to ask you for advice.”_

“Okay, don’t tell Sven, but it may have been my fault he got sick in the first place.” He told him. “The reason I came to headquarters in the first place was because Dash wasn’t feeling well and wanted me to spend time with him, and we’ve now confirmed that he has the flu. Now, I never get sick, but it’s certainly possible that I had some of his germs on me and spread them to Sven.”

_“He would probably kill you if he found that out. I won’t tell him, I promise. I just really need your help please. He’s asleep right now, but I don’t know if he’ll want anything when he wakes up.”_

“There’s a few things you might want to run into town and buy, love, as they’re either not available in the castle, or in short supply. I can’t go with you, or go out and buy them for you, but the operative room you two are staying in is right next to Dash’s room, so I’ll keep an eye on Sven and tell him where you went if he wakes up before you come back.

“You should obviously get cough medicine, some Tylenol, and tissues, maybe a thermometer since I’m not sure if the infirmary will let you borrow one. Get some tea and juice, some cans of soup, and some fruit. Get a humidifier, too, if they have one, especially since Sven got pneumonia pretty bad when we were students, which might make it harder for him to breathe with the flu. It gets pretty cold here since the castle doesn’t have a good heating system, so I’d get him a heated blanket, too.”

_“Thank you, Neal. Do you want anything while I’m out?”_

“Just grab me some crisps and some fashion magazines for Dash if you see them, but don’t worry about it if you can’t; he has plenty of other things he can read. I’ll talk to you when you get back.”

As he ended the call, Neal couldn’t help but wonder if he may have been a factor in the spread of the flu through VILE. Dash had been staying in his room, but Neal had been spending a lot of time in the common areas of the headquarters, especially when Dash was sleeping. He was never the best at washing or sanitizing his hands, so it was certainly a possibility.

“I can’t believe that idiot sneezed on you, Carm.” Said Ivy. “Did he really think that it would stop you?”

“I don’t think he did it on purpose.” Replied Carmen. “But I’m worried I might catch something from him, since he wasn’t looking too good. If that happens, I’ll have to take a break from fighting VILE, and quarantine from the rest of you so you don’t get sick.”

“We’re ready to fight VILE without you if we need to.” Said Zack. “After all, we have Shadow-San.”

Shadow-San let out a groan. He didn’t want to work without Carmen, especially if it meant being stuck with Zack and Ivy, but he just might have to.

“Elma, I’m cold.” Whined Spinkick. “Come over here and keep me warm.”

After their failed assignment, they had ended up at an unused VILE safehouse due to the Head Faculty wanting to keep symptomatic operatives where they were if possible. They were running out of operatives that were qualified to fly aircraft or captain boats, so they didn’t want their limited sources of transport to be put out of commission.

It wasn’t long before Spinkick became more symptomatic, complaining that his muscles were sore and that his head hurt, and coughing and sneezing almost constantly. Of course, he was much whinier when he was sick or in pain, and somehow his issues always became Flytrap’s problems.

“No, you’ll get me sick.” Flytrap told him. “I don’t want to be stuck in this stupid safehouse for even longer because I caught the flu from you. This is all your fault, Alex. If you had just admitted you were sick, we would at least be back at headquarters and not in this spider-infested shack.”

Flytrap was not a big fan of bugs. She was by no means afraid of them, she just didn’t want them anywhere near herself or her belongings.

“Please, I’m sick.” He begged. “I thought you loved me and would take care of me, but you’re acting like you don’t care about me at all.”

Flytrap rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I get sick from you, you have to take care of me.”

Otter Man was slightly annoyed when his partner wasn’t back when he woke up. Moose Boy usually understood that while Otter Man could be a bit moody at times, it was usually due to him being stressed or upset about something, and those were the times he most needed affection.

Just as Otter Man was about to call Moose Boy, the door suddenly opened. Unfortunately, the person coming in was Neal and not Moose Boy.

“Oh, you’re awake, love.” Said Neal. “How are you feeling?”

“Where the hell is Henrik?” He demanded. “Did he really just abandon me in my time of need like this?”

“Relax, he just went into town to pick up some stuff for you.” Explained Neal. “He asked me to check in on you every so often since you’re sick.”

“And how long do you expect it will be before he gets back here? I don’t want a slimey idiot; I want my boyfriend!”

Neal honestly didn’t know but knew there would be more yelling if he didn’t come up with some sort of answer. “Well, he left around forty-five minutes ago, so I’d assume he’s be back in maybe fifteen. Of course, its Henrik, so we can’t be certain. Do you want anything while you’re waiting for him?”

“Yes, I’d like for you to go away so I can rest.”

Neal chuckled. “As grumpy as ever, I see. I’ll be with Dash; call me if you need anything.”

While Dash had been asleep when Neal had gone to check on Otter Man, he was now awake and looking very annoyed at being left alone.

“Where were you?” He demanded. “I can’t believe you would just abandon me like that when I’m so sick.”

“Relax, Dashie, I was just checking in on Sven.” Replied Neal. “He’s sick, too.”

Dash was acquainted with Moose Boy and Otter Man but wasn’t really friendly with them. He mostly knew them as Neal’s friends and had no desire to get closer with them.

“Well, why isn’t his boyfriend taking care of him, then?” Asked Dash. “Shouldn’t that be his responsibility and not yours.”

“Henrik went into town to buy some stuff to help Sven get over the flu.” He explained. “I was just asked to keep an eye on him until Henrik got back, you can’t be mad at me for that.”

“Well, I _could_ be, but I guess I’ll give you a pass this time. Hand me my laptop, would you? I want to catch up on Project Runway.”

Neal absolutely hated watching Project Runway, but he would watch it for Dash.

Otter Man was just about to fall back asleep when the door opened once again, this time more loudly and with more force.

“I’m awake, Henrik.” He called, knowing exactly who had just entered the room without having to even look. “Neal told me you’d be back soon, but I still can’t believe you would leave me here alone without telling me first.”

“Sorry, Sven, I just wanted to go and get some stuff that would help you feel better.” Replied Moose Boy, putting the bags in his hands on the floor next to the bed. “I even got you some of those chocolates you like.”

“I don’t want them right now.” Said Otter Man, rolling over in bed.

“Are you mad at me?”

He sighed. “A little, but that has nothing to do with me not wanting the chocolates. I’m sick and don’t have much of an appetite, and I would really just like to try and get some rest.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Not that you’re sick, but that you’re not mad at me. I got you a heated blanket since Neal says it gets cold in here a lot, would you at least like that?”

Otter Man nodded. “ _Ja_ , I’m freezing; hurry up and get it out!”

“I’ll get it for you right now!” Said Moose Boy, looking to see which of the bags he’d put it in. “If you’re still cold after that, I can make you some soup.”

Removing the blanket from the box it came in, Moose boy wrapped it around his partner and plugged it in, turning it to the warmest setting.

The blanket seemed to help a bit, but Otter Man was still cold. “Henrik, I’m still cold. Come to bed and keep me warm.”

“ _Ja_ , just give me a minute to set up the humidifier. Neal said I should get one to help you breathe better since you had pneumonia really bad that one time and it might have caused long-term damage to your lungs and make it harder for you to breathe when you’re this sick.”

Frankly, Otter Man didn’t want a humidifier in the room. It would probably make noise when he was trying to sleep, and he didn’t actually think he needed one. Normally, he would put up a fight, but he didn’t feel up to it right now, and just wanted to lay in bed with his boyfriend.

“Just be quick about it; I’m cold and I need you.”

Moose Boy knew that his partner must really be sick if he was actually admitting to needing affection. He set up the humidifier as quickly as possible, plugging it in on the other side of the room so any noise or light it might give off wouldn’t be a problem. He crawled into bed with Otter Man, pulling the smaller man close.

“Is there anything else you need, Sven.”

“ _Nej_ , just you.”

Carmen was slowly starting to show symptoms of whatever Spinkick had. She had a slight fever and a sore throat, but nothing serious, so she didn’t feel the need to visit a clinic or hire a private doctor, but she was still quarantining herself away from her teammates. Despite these protective measures, however, she was still afraid that she might get someone sick. After all, Zack wasn’t big on washing his hands, even during flu season.

They were going out on a caper without Carmen (she wasn’t sick enough for anyone to feel the need to stay home with her) the next day, and everyone was confident that it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge. According to Player, a lot of planned heists were being canceled by VILE, and many of their operatives were calling in sick, so it was clearing they didn’t have a lot of resources at the moment.

Despite this clear advantage, Carmen warned her team not to underestimate their enemies. Even the younger and inexperienced VILE operatives were still trained to kill and were certainly still a threat.

Otter Man was not having a good night. His fever had gone up, and Moose Boy had taken away the heated blanket because of it and made him take a barely warm shower to hopefully bring it down a bit, and deal with any discomfort caused by the sweating.

He’d taken a Tylenol to help with the pain and fever, but it really only served to upset his stomach. Although he didn’t actually end up vomiting, he still spent a good few hours in the bathroom due to how nauseous he felt and worrying that he might be sick at any moment.

Moose Boy hadn’t left his partner’s side, not even for a second. He did his best to try and keep Otter Man comfortable, but nothing really seemed to be helping. Moose Boy knew that his best bet was to just try and support Otter Man in any way he could throughout this bout of illness and hope it ended soon.

“Mr. Devineaux, you are clearly ill.” Said the Chief of ACME, present only in hologram form. “Go home before you manage to get anyone else sick and I have to deal with having half my agents on bedrest.”

“I am perfectly fine.” Argued Chase. “It is just allergies.”

Chief rolled her eyes. “Argent, take him home and make sure he doesn’t do anything else stupid today. Devineaux, you are not to come back here until you have been cleared by a doctor. Normally, I do not require a doctor’s note to return after something as simple as the flu, but I don’t believe I can trust your judgement on that.”

Even when he was working for INTERPOL, Chase was never the type to take a sick day when he was actually sick. He had no problem faking sick when he felt he had better things to do, but he didn’t like to stay home and do nothing, even if it was for his health. He’d managed to get Scarlet fever two years earlier by not getting treatment for strep throat and had to be hospitalized.

Julia gave a nod. “Of course, Chief. I’ll make sure he gets home and stays there.”

Dealing with Chase had just become Julia’s responsibility over the years. She had gotten pretty good at it over the years, and it wasn’t like Chase had any family around to take care of him. Despite Chase sometimes dismissing her ideas because she was younger and less experienced than him, the two of them got along pretty well.

“There is a cab waiting outside for you two.” Said Chief. “I will give you two the next week off paid providing Devineaux stays home.”

“But what about Carmen Sandiego?” Asked Chase. “Who will be stopping her crimes in my absence?”

“I’m pretty sure we can manage for a week without you.” She told him. “Just go home, and don’t let me catch you trying to fight Carmen Sandiego on your own.”

“I will not let you catch me doing it!”

“I mean, don’t do it in general, Devineaux. I have asked agent Argent to keep an eye on you for this very reason, since I am aware of how my words could be interpreted.”

“ _Merde_!”

“It feels kinda weird being on a caper without Carm, doesn’t it, Dadow-San?” Asked Zack.

Shadow-San shot him an annoyed glare. “I told you to stop calling me that, Zackary. Remember when I told your how important the ability to be quiet is when it comes to stealth? Well, now it is time for you to use that skill so that we may once again succeed against VILE.”

“I’ll be quiet.” Said Zack, a little louder than necessary. “Like a ninja.”

Shadow-San rolled his eyes.

“Uh, guys, there’s someone coming your way.” Said Player over their earpieces. “I can’t tell exactly who since this security camera I hacked into is really bad, but there’s two people and their probably VILE operatives.”

Shadow-San and Zack jumped out of their hiding place, ready to fight off some VILE operatives, only to come face-to-face with Zari and her partner (none of them actually knew the guy’s name).

“Freeze!” Shouted Zari, pointing her stun gun at Zack and Shadow-San. “State your reason for being here?”

“Same as you; we’re here to keep VILE from stealing.” Replied Zack. “Where are Devineaux and that lady agent Carmen likes? They’re usually the ones that we have to fight.”

“Agent Devineaux is out sick, and Agent Argent is making sure he’s not doing anything stupid.” Explained Zari. “I didn’t expect just you two, either. Where the hell is Carmen Sandiego?”

“Oh, she’s out sick, too. I guess the flu or somethings going around.”

“Uh, guys, I have some news.” Said Player, once again over the earpieces. “So, it turns out VILE canceled this heist, too, but I didn’t see it until now. You guys can just go home, sorry about that.”

“Aw, I was really looking forward to fighting someone today,” Said Zack. “Ooo, can we fight ACME instead? Please?”

“We are leaving now.” The older man told him, pulling out a smoke bomb.

The area was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared Zack and Shadow-San were long gone.

“I do not see any reason for you to have to be here.” Complained Chase. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “I had to take you to the hospital not long after we first joined ACME due to you getting far too caught up in searching for Carmen Sandiego and forgetting to eat. You don’t always make the best decisions, and Chief recognizes that.”

Because the two of them lived fairly far apart, and Julia honestly didn’t trust Chase to not try and track down VILE himself, and get stranded on a deserted island again, she had decided to stay with him. While she could’ve gotten a hotel instead of sleeping on Chase’s couch, she decided it was a smarter idea to keep an eye on him at all times, instead of giving him the opportunity to sneak out in the middle of the night.

Julia had covered all her bases when it came to making sure Chase didn’t get into trouble while he was recuperating. She had borrowed some alarms from ACME and set them to go off if Chase tried to open the front door or any windows during the night. She’d taken his car keeps and disabled all ride-share apps on his phone, so even if he did get out, he wouldn’t be getting far.

Sometimes it seemed that even as an adult, Chase had no idea how to take care of himself. It was no wonder that none of his previous partner’s back at INTERPOL before her hadn’t stayed long; he was really quite a handful.

It had been about a week since Roundabout had first come back and infected everyone with the flu, and the Head Faculty was finally starting to get better. None of them had a fever anymore, and they were all happy to be able to get back to work. The only person who seemed annoyed by this was Bellum, who wasn’t happy about not being able to continue wearing her pajamas all day.

“I believe we should make flu shots mandatory.” Said Cleo. “I know they will not completely protect our operatives from becoming ill, but they should at least prevent another outbreak like this.”

“We missed out on so many opportunities because of how many of our operatives were out sick.” Complained Maelstrom. “So, I do agree with you on that. And next time Roundabout returns from London with what he claims to be allergies, he will have to quarantine for a week, so he does not cause half our organization to fall ill.”

“You can’t blame all of this on me.” Replied Roundabout. “It is flu season, after all, and it is more than likely that some of our operatives caught different strains of the flu while out on assignment and brought it back here as well.”

The other four all rolled their eyes in unison. They were more than happy to blame this all on Roundabout, even if it was statistically unlikely that everything was his fault.

Neal was awoken early in the morning by the sound of Dash’s sewing machine. The two of them had different sleep schedules and Dash rarely ever agreed to compromise and would pitch a fit if Neal made any noise after he went to bed, but had no issue waking up the other man early in the morning.

Neal was always annoyed by these loud interruptions to his sleep, but this time he was actually happy to hear Dash’s sewing machine going, as it meant he was feeling better. If Dash had the energy to be sewing again, it wouldn’t be long before he was back to his old self.

“Good morning, Dashie.” Said Neal. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“A lot better.” Replied Dash, not looking up from his work. “Although I wish I didn’t waste most of what will likely be my only time off for the year being sick.”

“Are you hungry? Do you want me to heat you up some more of that soup?”

He shook his head. “I went to the cafeteria and got some fresh fruit before you woke up. Honestly, I don’t understand how anyone can eat food from there besides the fruit or the prepackaged stuff. It all looks absolutely disgusting, and I doubt the place follows proper health and safety regulations when it comes to the food.”

Neal smiled slightly. “Its nice to see you back to your old, bitchy self, Dashie.”

“You idiot, I can’t believe you got me sick!” Shouted Flytrap.

Spinkick was now feeling better, but the entire time he had been sick, he’d been constantly clinging to Flytrap. She, of course, kept telling him to go away so he wouldn’t infect her, but once he gave her those puppy dog eyes, she would instantly feel bad and snuggle him. But now, because of that, she was currently the one in bed with the flu.

“You can’t fully blame this on me, Elma.” He told her. “The flu is going around, and if you didn’t catch it from me, you probably would have ended up catching it from someone else. Well, I guess its my turn to take care of you.”

“Well, I hope you do a better job of taking care of me than you did taking care of that goldfish I bought you for your birthday.”

“Give me a break; he was my first pet, and I had no idea that goldfish eat themselves to death, I just thought he was really hungry.”

Otter Man wasn’t completely over the flu, but he was starting to feel a bit better. He made Moose Boy unplug the humidifier since he wasn’t coughing anymore, but continued to use the heated blanket, as even being from a cold country, he could agree that the castle was a bit drafty.

Despite his fever being gone, Moose Boy was still acting overprotective of his boyfriend, refusing to let him walk anywhere, and carrying him to the cafeteria when he was feeling well enough to have some waffles for breakfast. Otter Man found this behavior to be a bit annoying, but since he had almost died a few time’s before, he could understand his partner’s overprotectiveness whenever he got sick or injured.

“Henrik, the chocolates you said you got me, do you still have them?” Asked Otter Man. “If so, I would like them now.”

“Of course, Sven.” Said Moose Boy, pulling the box out from under the bed. “I got you the nicest box they had at the drugstore.”

Otter Man would have preferred a box from the candy store in town, but he knew Moose Boy hadn’t wanted to leave him alone for long, and he would take what he could get after being sick for almost a week.

Moose Boy smiled as he watched his partner carefully select his favorite of the chocolates to start with. Otter Man was finally getting better, and they would be able to return to Sweden sooner than later.

“I told you that if you stayed around me when I was sick, you would catch the flu, _mon chou_.” Said Le Chevre. “I did not want you to get sick, and yet you insisted on spending every moment with me.”

El Topo chuckled. “It was completely worth it, _mi amor_. Now it is your turn to take care of me.”

VILE seemed to be taking a break from evil at the moment, and it was good timing, too, as every member of Carmen’s team-with the exception of Zack-had caught the flu. Even Player, who not only had zero physical contact with the rest of the team, but rarely even left his room, had somehow gotten sick. Zack was more than willing to take care of his sick team members (at least the ones he lived with, anyways), but seemed to annoy everyone more than anything.

Shadow-San had gone to his room, claiming he wanted to take a nap (in reality, he just wanted to get away from Zack), and Carmen and Ivy stayed in the living room, planning on watching a movie fairly soon. Having nothing better to do, Zack decided to join them.

“How do you never get sick?” Asked Ivy. “I mean, bro, I’ve never actually seen you wash your hands.”

“That’s because I almost never do.” He told her. “I’m constantly exposed to so many germs that my immune system can kick anything’s ass.”

“Zack, that’s disgusting.” Said Carmen. “Go wash your hands.”

“But my immunity…”

“Go wash your damn hands!” Both women shouted in unison.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, if you liked it, please leave a review.


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